Kavita N. Ramdas

Kavita N. Ramdas (she/her/hers) is a globally recognized advocate for gender equity and justice. She is an inspirational speaker and thought commentator on the challenges facing philanthropy and civil society as they seek to advance equitable and sustainable development and gender and racial equity.

Kavita is the founder of KNR Sisters, a consulting venture for social justice movements and philanthropy and currently provides high-level consulting advice and guidance on initiatives to defend democracy and protect human rights both within the US and across the globe.

Kavita completed a brief stint as CEO of a family foundation after serving for three years as the Director of the Women’s Rights Program at the Open Society Foundations. During her time at OSF, the foundation made its largest ever investment in gender justice with a $100 million commitment to the Generation Equality Forum in July 2021. Kavita has also served as Strategy Advisor for MADRE, an international women’s rights organization; and at the Ford Foundation as both Senior Advisor on Global Strategy and Representative for India. In 2023, Kavita was chosen to be a Richard von Weisäcker Fellow of the Bosch Foundation.

Kavita served as the Global Fund for Women’s second President and CEO from 1996-2010; under her leadership, Global Fund for Women became the largest public foundation for women’s rights in the world. She returns to Global Fund for Women in 2023 as our Activist in Residence.